Ventilated shipping container for fruits and vegetables



Oct. 25, 1960 M. B. ROYCE 2,957,5 7

VENTILATED SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Filed Dec. 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

MARK B. ROYCE 1 ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 25, 1960 M. B. ROYCE 2,

VENTILATED SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Filed Dec. 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l7 l6 u I: is I7 I I f 1 l l5. 1 2 5. L1 E |8- 20 I? Us l6 I7 20 EDIE nu [En l9 I a l5 l8 y 7 I I 16 Z 9 V I I ,1 j I I2 fl I I" 1 INVENTOR.

MARK a. ROYCE ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent VENTILATED SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Mark B. Royce, Hohokns, NJ., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 12, 1956, Ser. No. 627,920

3 Claims. (Cl. 217-42) The invention relates to a ventilated shipping container for fruits and vegetables, including an improved system for combining fiberboard and wood in the construction of such a container.

Definition In the paper box business, shipping containers are commonly considered as falling into two broad classifications known, respectively, as corrugated containers and fiberboard containers. However, either term is occasionally employed in a generic sense as including the other. For simplicity, in this specification and in the appended claims, the term fiberboard will be used generically as including corrugated paperboard and all of the fiberboard or paperboard materials commonly used in the manufacture of shipping containers in the paper box business.

Summary Heretofore, in combining the use of fiberboard and wood in making shipping containers, pieces of wood have been used as stiffeners in framing the container. Such wood pieces frequently form the ends of the containers or frames for ends covered with fiberboard. Sometimes solid wood ends or sides, or both, are wrapped inside folds of the fiberboard, or separate stiifening slats are stapled to the fiberboard. In contradistinction to such constructions, my container incorporates, as side walls, unitary wood slatted structures having wood slats secured in spaced relationship upon wood stringers. Thus, in its general arrangement, my improved shipping container includes a bottom and ends formed of fiberboard and sides formed of the aforesaid wood slatted structures, the fiberboard bottom and sides having narrow marginal flaps along their edges folded upwardly from the bottom and inwardly from the ends and secured, as by metal staples, to the edges of the unitary wood slatted structures. Such a container combines, to a degree not heretofore conceived, the advantages of Wood crates and fiberboard shiping containers.

Description In the drawing, which shows the best mode contemplated by me for carrying out my invention:

Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of my improved container.

Fig. 2 is a face, or side elevational, view of one of the unitary Wood slatted structures used in forming the sides of the container of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a face view of the fiberboard blank from which is formed the bottom and ends of the container of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top perspective view of a modified form of my container.

Fig. 5 is a top perspective view of a modified form of my container.

Fig. 6 is a face View of the fiberboard blank from which is formed the bottom, ends and top of the container of Fig. 5.

According to my invention, there is provided a ventilated shipping container for fruits and vegetables includ- 2,957,597 Patented Oct. 25, 1960 ing abottom'5 and ends 6-formed offiberboard and sides 7 formed of unitary woodslatted structures'havingwood slats 8 secured ,in spaced relationship upon wood liners or stringers'9, as by metal staples 10. One of the unitary wood slatted structures 7 whichjform the sides of my container is shown separately in Fig. 2. (In the language of the box maker, "this unitary wood slatted structure 7 is called a veneer panel.) The fiberboard bottom and sides have narrow marginal flaps 11 along their edges folded upwardly from the bottom and inwardly from the ends and secured, as by metal staples 1, to the edges of the veneer panels. The entire container is quickly and easily assembled from the one piece paperboard blank of Fig. 3 and two of the veneer panels of Fig. 2. This simple assembly operation may be performed either at the box makers plant or at the plant of its customer, the fruit and vegetable packer.

The modified form of container shown in Fig. 4 is essentially the same as that described with reference to Figs. 1-3, except that it has lower sides and that its end walls have diagonal score lines 13 which permit the container to be folded flat for shipment in ready made form to the packer. The dot-dash lines indicate the form of the container as fully erected for use. The view shows the container partially folded toward its knocked down fiat" (k.d.f.) form. The prior art containers with wood end pieces cannot be folded for shipment. Separate or attached covers for the container may be provided as desired. These may be of any existing well known form.

The modified form of container shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is also essentially the same as that described with reference to Figs. 1-3, except that it has a preferred form of attached fiberboard cover consisting of panels 14 and 15 which are extensions of the ends 6. Panels 14 have marginal flaps 16 along their edges folded downwardly from the top and secured, as by staples 12, to the top edges of the veneer panels. Marginal flaps 17 along the edges of panels 15 are not secured to the veneer panels and are movable about score lines 18. These flaps are held in a closed position by a tape 19, or other suitable securing means, so that they can be readily released, as by tearing the tape at the juncture of panels 15. The panels 15 can be reclosed by merely inserting marginal flaps 16 against the inner sides of the veneer panels. In the preferred form of the container shown in Figs. 5 and 6 cutouts 20 are provided in two opposite marginal flaps 17 so that the tape can be removed by grasping it at the thumb hole formed by the cutouts.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used in a descriptive and not a limiting sense, and I have no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invention described, or of portions thereof, as fall within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A rectangular ventilated shipping container for fruits and vegetables including a bottom and ends formed of fiberboard and sides formed of separate unitary wood slatted structures having wood slats secured in spaced relationship upon wood stringers, said sides forming the long walls of the shipping container, the fiberboard bottom and ends having narrow marginal flaps along their edges folded upwardly from the bottom and inwardly from the ends and secured, as by metal staples, to the edges of the unitary wood slatted structures.

2. A ventilated shipping container in accordance with claim 1 and further including a cover formed of fiberboard and comprising two panels each attached to its adjacent end and each divided into two sections by fold lines parallel to the ends of the container, each section having narrow marginal flaps along its edge folded downwardly from the top, only the flaps of the sections adja- 3 cent the ends of the container being secured, as by metal staples, to the edges of the unitary wood slatted structures. 3. A ventilated shipping container in accordance with claim 2 wherein the flaps of both inner sections are notched adjacent the meeting edges of the two panels. 5

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,375,127 Bliss Apr. 19, 1921 10 4 Flood Apr. 1, 1924 Rendleman Sept. 8, 1936 Brandwein Jan. 25, 1938 Martin Oct. 10, 1939 Fletcher Dec. 3, 1940 Peters July 7, 1942 Kieckhefer Dec. 23, 1952 Paxton July 12, 1955 Russell et a1. June 5, 1956 Patent No, 2,957,597 October 25, 1960 Mark B. Royce} It is h'ereby certified that err ent requiring correction and that th corrected below.

or appears in the above numbered pate said Letters Patent should read as Column 2, line 11, for "staples 1" read staples l2 line 43, for "flaps 16" read flaps 17 si ned and sealed (this 30th day of May 1961,,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

